


Mating Habits of the Magnificent Pooka

by Sirenfox



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Attempted Seduction, Awkward Romance, Bad Matchmaking, M/M, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-05-20 16:37:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6016834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sirenfox/pseuds/Sirenfox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack has a huge crush on Aster and a couple little Bennett children find out.  Sophie decides to play matchmaker, it can't be too difficult right?  All Jack will need to do is appeal to Aster's instincts...there's only one problem:  Aster has no idea what is going on.  Has Jack lost his mind?  And why is the boy wearing bunny ears?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It Started with a Carrot

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, nor do I own The Guardians of Childhood.

* * *

Jack was sitting in Jamie's room floating just above the boy's bed, lounging on his back as he watched a little frost bunny hop around the room.

He'd gotten bored outside, what with the warm spring sunshine and all the children tucked away in classes. So it was only natural for him to gravitate towards his best friend's house and he'd been waiting for the two Bennett children to return home from school for what felt like forever - but was more then likely closer to a few minutes.

He was just slipping into a light doze when the front door slammed open and loud chatter from the sibling's floated up to Jack.

Footsteps pounded over the floorboards quickly, heading up the stairs and within seconds Jamie burst into the room, dropping his bright red backpack on the floor by the door.

It didn't take him long at all before he spotted Jack, who was now floating by the open window.

"Jack!" Jamie beamed in surprised delight. "I wasn't expecting you. What are you doing here?"

Jack grinned playfully, slipping onto the window seal, his toes curling over the edge and leaned heavily on his staff which curved about a foot over the top of his head.

"What? I can't visit my best friend, now? Are you too old to hang out with Jack Frost anymore?" He teased, only half joking.

Jamie had grown up so quickly, Jack couldn't visit him as often as he'd like and it seemed like only yesterday he'd been throwing snowballs at Cupcake and cross-town sledding.

Jamie was seventeen now and almost a man. He was already taller then Jack, though that wasn't hard since he only stood at a disappointing five foot seven. Jack was always worried that the next time he popped up in Burgess his first Believer wouldn't believe anymore.

It was a terrifying thought, one Jack didn't like to dwell on.

Jamie snorted, flopping down on his bed. "Naw. You're still cool." Then he paused dramatically before laughing up a storm at his rather lame pun.

Jack chuckled, not really finding the joke funny, but feeling obliged to acknowledge it anyway.

The little frost bunny decided it didn't like being ignored and hopped determinedly into Jack's lap and stared up at him with expectant snowflake-blue eyes.

Jack grunted in surprise but obediently began scratching the creature's ears. The bunny collapsed against Jack's bent knees and just lay there, soaking up the attention.

Jamie stared at him in amusement before narrowing his eyes at the rabbit. "Wait…" He started, "Is that…?" Kicking his feet off the bed he sat up to get a closer look.

Jack eyed the boy suspiciously, pulling the bunny up for a defensive cuddle.

Jamie barked out a laugh, "It is!" He crowed, "You actually made a frost Bunny!"

The winter sprit huffed, "I've made lots of frost bunnies." He pouted, pretending he hadn't heard the capital "B" in his friend's words.

"Ah, come on Jack. Just admit it. You like Bunny. You want to _kiss_ him." Jamie sang.

Jack felt frost creeping up his neck and over his suddenly pink cheeks. "Shut up." He demanded, throwing a pencil at the boy and hoping his growing blush wasn't very noticeable. "I don't know what you're yammering about."

Jamie cracked up, falling backward on the bed and laughing so hard he looked like he was having a seizure. "You even talk like him now!" He giggled to the embarrassed frost spirit.

Frostbunny nudged Jack's jaw affectionately, causing his flush to deepen. The gentle frost dusting his cheeks iced over turning into shinny little crystals.

Jamie laughed harder.

"What on Earth are you cackling about now?" Sophie demanded, poking her little blond head into the room. She spotted Jack instantly and let out an excited squeak. "Jack!" She exclaimed happily, scrambling across the room to fling herself at Jack, who jumped to his feet in alarm, dropping the little magical bunny onto the floor to scamper out of the way.

Sophie tackled the surprised guardian with a full body hug. Jack grunted, struggling to catch the girl who instantly wrapped both arms and legs around him clinging onto him like an overly affectionate koala. "Hey Sophie." He gasped out as he fought to keep his balance.

Despite the crazy circumstances he savored every second of contact. He rarely ever interacted with children who believed in him and he still half expected them to pass right through him. Three hundred years of neglect and invisibility were difficult to shake.

After a few, too short, moments Sophie pulled back, easily extracting herself from Jack's embrace and turned on her older brother.

Jack was reluctant to let her go, but dutifully dropped his hand's to his side and retreated back onto the window seel. Shortly after he'd sat down Frostbunny hopped back into his lap and snuggled against his neck.

"What's so funny Jamie?" The little girl demanded, her two tiny hands planted firmly on her skinny little hips in a clear imitation of her mother.

It was so adorable that Jack had to smother a laugh behind his hand.

His soft amusement turned into burning embarrassment when Jamie conquered his own mirth long enough to squeak out a quick, "Jack loves Bunny!" In true teenage-drama fashion.

There was a tension filled moment of horrified silence before Sophie started screaming bloody murder.

Frostbunny dove into a pile of questionably clean clothing on the floor under the window and Jack was on his feet in seconds flat -staff brandished in frost of him and sparking defensively. Wide blue eyes scanned every inch of the room in search of anything nefarious.

Sophie continued to squeal shrilly as she bounced around in a tight circle, her feet stamping the ground excitedly and her arms wiggling up and down in a funny little gig, pointer fingers waving in all directions as she danced.

Jack's defenses lowered in confusion as he eyed the strange child. What in Mim's name was she doing?

Without warning, Sophie lunged out of her bizarre ritual and dove at Jack again, not at all concerned about Jack's weapon and magic.

Jack was caught completely by surprise, the small teen's momentum knocking him to the floor. Sophie landed heavily on his chest, stealing the breath from his lungs and leaving him dazed.

Jack lay on the floor staring at Sophie in confusion, Jamie's cackling was ringing in his ears as he gasped for breath.

Sophie was heavier then he remember her being. She was a solid weight on his stomach, pinning him to the hard floor.

He hadn't even gotten his breath back before she gasped out another ear piercing shriek and jumped to her feet. Jack gasped, sparkling white stars swirling across his vision as Sophie's hands dug into his solar plexus ridding him of what little air he possessed, as she used the spirit as a springboard.

Jack lay where he had fallen, gaping like a fish out of water and wondering just what happened.

He listened to Sophie's stocking clad feet pitter-patter across the room before she crashed into the squeaky chair situated in front of Jamie's computer. Her momentum spun the seat in a wild circle before she jerked herself to a stop and started hammering on the keyboard.

He must have been down longer than he thought because Jamie's face popped into existence above him. "You alright?" The teen asked, an amused smirk curling his lips up devilishly - Just when had sweet innocent little Jamie learned to smirk?-

It was weird.

"Yeah." Jack assured him as he sat up slowly his bright blue eyes focused unblinkingly on the little girl. Jack sat up slowly and stared at Sophie, still chattering on in an excited voice. Was she talking to herself? Because Jack couldn't understand a word she was saying. Sure it sounded like English, but he was certain it was another language completely. "She do this often?" He asked curiously.

Jamie chuckled at the question as he led the way to stand at his sister's side. "You get used to it." Was all he said by way of explanation, leaning down to get a good look at the computer monitor.

Jack hesitated a moment longer before curiosity got the better of him and he moved to get a look for himself.

He immediately wished he'd kept his nose out of it as his cheeks frosted over and his jaw dropped in shock.

"Rabbit mating habits." Jamie read aloud.

Jack squeaked, stumbling away from the siblings so fast he tripped over his own staff and went crashing into the floor next to the pile of clothes Frostbunny had been hiding in.

"What are you doing?" He asked in a panic.

Sophie looked over her shoulder at him and Jack could only describe her expression as evil

Pure evil.

Jack glanced over at Jamie and gulped, a foreboding feeling in his sinking stomach.

This was humiliating. How had he ever let those kids talk him into this?

"It's perfect." Sophie cooed, fluffing Jack's thick silver hair.

"It's stupid." Jack countered sullenly, his arms crossed over his chest uncomfortably.

As a winter spirit Jack didn't get cold -ever- but that didn't mean he wanted to traipse around wearing nothing but a smile.

That's certainly what it felt like he was doing now as he nervously reached down to tug at the flimsy blue cloth draped around his hips. The movement cause one long white furry ear to flop down into his eyes.

He huffed in irritation, tossing his head in hopes that it would shove the …ear…back, but all it did was dislodge it's equally fluffy twin.

He glared out at Sophie from behind the ridiculous bunny ears. "One more thing." Sophie sang, hiding her hands behind her back. Jack narrowed his eyes suspiciously, not wanting to know what she was hiding, but knowing he was about to find out anyway.

"Turn around." Sophie instructed, a smug looking smile on her heart shaped face.

No. Definitely not. There was no possible way he would willingly turn his back on that conniving she-devil.

"Turn around Jack, or I'll tell Tooth you have a cavity." the little girl threatened.

Jack stared at her in stunned surprise, and even Jamie looked impressed.

"You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?" Sophie returned innocently. "Turn. Around. Jack."

Evil. This girl was pure evil.

Jack turned around, dreading whatever Sophie had planned. There was a slight tug on his only item of clothing, but before he could even begin to guess what she had done, something went flying passed him.

Whatever it was shattered against the floor, the shards of glass swirling into a colorful portal.

Jack barely had time to recognize the work of North's snow globes when something was shoved into his hands and he was pushed into the vortex.

_*****frostbunny***** _

Jack landed in an undignified heap in a field of emerald grass, white fluffy bunny ears obscuring his vision so he didn't see his staff whirl our of the portal to brain him in the back of the head moments before the gateway snapped shut.

Jack jerked his head back, flipping the annoying appendages out of his face as he glared at the now empty sky. "Sophie!" He yelled, even knowing perfectly well the girl wouldn't be able to hear him.

It made him feel better.

Grumbling in irritation under his breath Jack pushed himself to his feet and dusted himself off. Then he reached down to pick up his staff and froze.

Laying innocently next to his staff in a bed of soft green grass was a large bright orange carrot.

A carrot.

Seriously Sophie? That was the best you could come up with?

Annoyed Jack snatched his staff up and contemplated leaving the vegetable there to rot…but…well…Bunny might actually like such a thoughtful gift, and it was a clear sign that Jack was able to find food so hopefully that would appeal to his instincts.

Grudgingly, Jack reached down and plucked the carrot up as well. Then he straightened and finally looked at his surroundings.

He turned in a slow circle, eyes taking in the colors splattered through the field. A nest of pixies fluttered close by, shying away from his naturally cold temperature and eyeing him nervously, obviously put off by his sudden appearance in their midst.

In fact, the more Jack looked the more pixies he could see. Odd, because he didn't remember them being there the last time he was in the Warren. But maybe they'd just hidden when he showed up, they didn't seem to do so well in cold weather.

Ice blue eyes skipped over the fluttering creatures and up a steep incline where they locked with bright spring green. Jack felt his heart take a swan dive into the pit of his stomach.

Oh no.

_*****frostbunny***** _

If there was one thing Aster hated almost as much as Pitch it was Pixies. The little pests got into everything and if he wasn't careful they could ruin entire crops of googies and spoil the paint in the river. And that was always a mess to clean up.

He didn't like to admit he was in over his head, but he didn't really have any time to waste. Easter was only recently in the past and the sooner he got rid of the infestation the sooner he could begin preparations for next year.

North was the natural person to turn to, he was a wizard after all and probably had some spell he could use to help out.

That didn't mean Aster had to like it. But regardless of his disgruntled feelings he was standing with North on top of a hill that overlooked the fields he usually used for the googie seeds.

"Dis is bad." The big man admitted, hands on his hips as he watched the swarms of brightly colored pixies dive into a bag of seeds. Off to one side another swarm were chasing the remaining googies around the bright green plants.

Aster was only glad the newly 'born' googies weren't allowed to wander around the warren for at least a month. They were way to delicate right off the stem and he didn't want to even think what those monsters would do to them. He didn't have to worry so much for the older googies as they were much more sturdy (something that always helped when Easter came and they were suddenly faced with tidal waves of over eager children).

One of the googies had the sense to run over to hide behind Aster's paw and he growled at the pixie stupid enough to fly that close to him. "Everything was fine yesterday." He told North, "When I woke up this morning' they were bloody everywhere. They've chased away all the butterflies and the bees refuse to leave their hives."

North clapped Bunny on the shoulder, "No fear, my friend. We will fix dis."

Aster liked to act tuff, and although he'd never tell North, he was secretly relieved to have his help. If he'd had to contend to this disaster by himself it would have taken the longer portion of a month. Time he really didn't have to spare.

They didn't get a change to even think about starting when the air above the problem field rippled like water in a pond, opening into a portal.

The Guardian's caught a glimpse of a familiar room on the other end of said portal before someone was shoved through and the door swirled shut.

"Sophie!" The figure -who was fairly easy to recognize- screamed up at the empty sky.

Aster cast a confused look at North, who was sheepishly patting his empty pockets. The Easter Bunny rolled his eyes before focusing back on Jack. The boy was facing the opposite direction, which gave them a perfect view of the boy's attire.

Gone were the dark blue hoody and deerskin pants and in their place was a simple blue loincloth with a fuzzy white … tail?…perched high on the boy's behind. The boy's white hair was also a mess with two long droopy ears flopping out of the white tangle.

What on earth would have possessed the boy to wear…that…Aster felt like he should be insulted, but couldn't find it in himself. All he really wanted to do was steal North's coat and bundle the boy back up and hide him away from any prying eyes.

His fingers twitched with the urge, but he stamped it down. If Jack wanted to parade around for everyone to see, who was he to stop 'im?

It took a moment for the boy to turn around and spot them but the moment he did Jack froze, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"Bunny!" The boy squeaked uncharacteristically. The unusual greeting caused Asters hackles to raise and his ears to slick back.

The kid was obviously up to no good if that reaction was any indication.

But pranks were the furthest thing from Jack's mind. He was burning with embarrassment, uncomfortably aware of his bare chest on display and the heavy weight of the carrot sitting in his hand.

He felt like he'd been caught with his hand in North's cookie jar.

It was official. He was going to kill Sophie.

But…well, he was here and it couldn't hurt…right?

Right.

Jack was no coward so he leapt into action, the pixies scattering around him and ducking behind the plants they had just been terrorizing to watch him with wide suspicious eyes.

Not that Jack noticed, he was concentrating on not making a bigger fool of himself in front of Aster. He allowed the wind to whisk him up the hill to where his crush was waiting.

Jack landed lightly in front of Bunny, who was eyeing him doubtfully, then dropped dramatically onto one knee. He bowed his head solemnly and thrust both arms forward, the bright orange carrot held aloft, shining grandly in the soft rosy light of the setting sun.

Mim blinked down at the scene in baffled amusement.

Bunny stared at Jack blankly, sure the frost spirit was planning a prank on him but lost as to what it could be.

A rough nudge from North had the pooka stumbling forward a step. He shot a venomous look back at Santa from over his shoulder, but obligingly reached to take the vegetable from the teen.

Jack's stress and nervousness melted away when the older male accepted his offering.

"Eh…thanks mate." Aster mumbled awkwardly before stepping back to North's side. "E' gave me a bloody carrot." He said, hoping North might be able to shed some light on the barmy boy's strange behavior.

North shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "'Is nice Carrot. Very…orange."

Aster huffed, "I have a whole garden full 'a carrots already." He added under his breath, his brows furrowing broodingly.

Hopefully now that Jack had carried out his mischief he'd scamper off and leave the adults to their work. That bit of hopeful wishing was dashed when Jack rose to his feet and sucked in a bracing breath.

Aster felt a curl of unease unfurl inside him, he just knew something bad was going to happen, he could feel it.

Jack didn't dare even look at Aster before he began the next step. If he did he just knew he would chicken out.

Making sure to keep his head held high, Jack began.

Sophie had stressed that this next part was of utmost importance, so he really didn't want to mess it up.

He swallowed nervously, bright blue eyes darting to North. He was embarrassed that his father figure was there to see this, but if he didn't do it now he'd never do it.

Then he got an idea. It wasn't the original plan, but if there was one thing Jack was good at it was improvising.

Wasting no time, Jack dropped into a crouch, arms folding over his chest and face set in as stern an expression as he could manage.

North watched the young boy with bewilderment, a look that was mirrored on Aster's face. Aster wasn't sure what was happening, his eyes following Jack as he bobbed up and down around him. Every time Jack would pop up his arms and legs would shoot out and he'd give a loud "Hey!" Then he'd sink back into a low crouch, his arms once again folded and his scantly clad butt touching his heels.

North caught on quickly, easily recognizing the native dance of his homeland…if a little…different. He wasn't sure what to think about the development as the wind shuffled him insistently out of the way of the boy.

He couldn't help but notice that without music Jack's motions were stiffer then they really should be and looked more then a little awkward.

In true Nicholas St. North fashion he got swiftly carried away in the moment. It wasn't long at all before he was clapping his hands and stamping his feet to give Jack a beat to dance too.

Jack shot him a quick look of gratitude as he fell into step. He moved with the ease of one who had known the dance for years, spinning and kicking and dropping down into painful looking contortions before shuffling his feet quickly to the beat North supplied.

He didn't let his embarrassment or tired limbs keep him from his task, moving around Aster in neat little circles before ending in one of his classic back flips, both he and North shouting "Hazzah!"

Jack stood before Aster, bright eyed and bushy tailed, panting from exertion. North was cheering loudly, slamming his palms together as hard as he could, "Hazzah!" He crowed, "Very impressive."

Jack bounced on the balls of his feet, grinning from ear to ear. He took an elaborate bow, tilting his head up just enough to wink at Aster, before spinning away and dashing back through the field, pixies scattering around him like loose leaves in a gale.

He thought he heard small squeaky voices screaming "Don't eat me!" And, "I'm to young to die!" But he was too hyped up on adrenaline to take much notice.

Aster gaped after the boy, not quite sure what he'd just witnessed and feeling like he'd just survived a hurricane.

North sidled over to stand next to the Easter spirit. A wide grin was plastered over his broad face and there was a lively twinkle in his eyes. "Boy is very talented, no?"

Aster just nodded absently.

It would take a few minutes before either of the remaining Guardian's realized all the pixies had disappeared, scared off by Jack's naturally cold presence and his unusual, energetic dance.

* * *

**_Review!_ **


	2. A Toga in the Wind

That had gone surprisingly well, Jack decided as he glided out of the Warren's many tunnels. Aster hadn't seemed angry with his presumption, so that was a good sign. He also hadn't been kicked out, and Jack would forever count that as a win.

Jack was flying on pure adrenaline, his head in the clouds - both literally and figuratively - letting the wind take him where it would. As long as it was away from prying eyes he didn't care where he wound up in the end.

His destination turned out to be the North Pole, which wasn't at all surprising since it was Wind's favorite place to blow off steam. The cold air was soothing on Jack's bare flushed flesh and quickly cooled his burning embarrassment.

Before he made it too far into Santa's territory, Jack pulled the ears off his head and threw them to the ground, quickly followed by the little fluffy cotton tail. Hopefully they would disappear under a mountain of snow before too long.

Jack didn't look back as he headed off into the sky. He had no interest in seeing North again so soon, and definitely not in his current state. That in no way changed his feeling of comfort that came from being so near to the old man, so he slipped quietly into the stables. He could hide there for a few days and pretend none of this had ever happened. Then he'd see if he could liberate his clothes from Sophie.

That didn't sound very likely though, the girl was evil.

The stable was warmer than the icy tundra outside, but still cool enough not to make Jack uncomfortable.

He ignored the deer as he collapsed on the nearest pile of hay, groaning in pain. The dance had finally started to catch up to him, he hurt everywhere. "I'm dying!" He moaned to Dasher, who had sauntered over to attempt to eat Jack's makeshift bed.

He felt like his legs were on fire and his abs and arms ached unpleasantly.

Dasher nosed roughly at his side, ignoring his grunt of pain, and growled in irritation.

Jack batted the reindeer's muzzle away, "Uh uh. No way. I'm not moving, so go find yourself something else to chew on. This hay's mine." He grumbled.

Dasher snorted at that, musty warm breath spraying across Jack's face and fluffing his hair, then he tried rolling the boy out of the way with one of his massive hairy hooves.

"Eh! None of that now." Jack exclaimed indignantly, curling around the beast's leg and freezing the hay Dasher had been munching on.

The reindeer quickly spit out the mouthful of hay flavored ice, all over Jack's prone form.

"Ah, gross." Jack whined, leaping to his feet and ducking around the smug creature. "Real mature, Dasher. Real mature."

Dasher just laughed at him, big huffing grunts that stirred the hay into the air, then he ducked his head down to enjoy his hard earned meal.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up." Jack grumbled, shaking off the slobber and bits of hay-ice out of his hair and hoodie. "I'm going to sit over here with Cupid. At least he appreciates me." He pouted.

As if to prove that point Cupid reached forward out of his stall to nuzzle the side of Jack's head.

Jack cuddled back into the beast's side, studiously ignoring Cupid's nibbling on his hair.

_*****Frostbunny***** _

After approximately three days of sulking and hiding out in the North Pole Jack finally headed back to the Bennett's house intent on stealing his clothes back.

It was high noon when he crawled in through Jamie's window, feeling incredibly smug with himself. He was a genius.

Jamie and Sophie would both be in school at this time and he would be long gone before they ever got home.

Sure he was a bit sad he wouldn't be able to spend any time with Jamie, but if it meant keeping the boy's little sisters grubby mitts off him then he would just have to live with it.

His valiant sacrifice was for the greater good.

Jamie would understand.

Jack snuck through Jamie's room and peeked around the door. Ice blue eyes scanned down the hall before he slipped from the room and darting for Sophie's door.

He slowly pulled the door open and crept inside. The boy's clothes were easy to spot, sitting proudly on the Sophie's dresser.

Smiling triumphantly he leapt across the room and picked up his well earned prize, only to stare at it in shock.

His hoodie was so…blue. He didn't remember it being such a bright color before. Was it even really his? He'd just assumed, but this was Sophie's room so it would make sense if she had a few similar items in her own closet.

Yet holding it up it was very obvious that this particular hoodie would in no way fit the tiny little teen. Besides he'd recognize those pants anywhere.

But that left one blaring question, had Sophie…washed them?

The thought was so absurd he almost laughed, but caught himself at the last moment. Sure Mrs. Bennett couldn't see or hear him, but there were some things that were just ingrained into him…sneaking around for his pranks was one of them.

Clutching his precious cargo to his chest Jack turned around, intent on heading back to Jamie's room before he changed clothes. He never even made it one step before he froze like a puddle in a snowstorm.

Standing in the threshold, completely blocking Jack's preferred means of escape was the last person Jack wanted to see at that moment.

"S-Sophie!" He yelped, his voice sounding strangled to his own ears. The little girl just smiled creepily at him, "What are you doing here?" He gasped before realizing what a stupid question that was…this was her room after all, and asked a more relevant question, "Why aren't you at school?"

A low laugh rang out behind him and startled the teen into spinning around. Jamie was leaning against the wall opposite him, the shadows in the room providing just enough camouflage that Jack -distracted as he had been - hadn't even noticed the younger man was in the room.

"Jack." Jamie's voice was deeply amused and his eyes glittered sinisterly in the darkness of his corner. "There's no school on Saturday.

Jack stared at the boy in incomprehension. Saturday? Really?

If that was true he was missing a few days, considering he could have sworn it was Thursday.

A soft hand took hold of his wrist and Jack jumped again glancing down into Sophie's cherubic face. "I'm so glad you're here. Now we can start on part two of plan Honeybunny."

"Plan what now?" Jack asked incredulously, unable to do anything as Sophie calmly retrieved his clothes from Jack's reluctant grasp. Jack watched forlornly as his clothing was tucked into the bottom of an old cedar chest before Sophie pulled out what looked like a long white bed sheet.

Jack took one look at the female's face and knew instinctively that he did not want to find out what she had planned for him next.

The winter spirit made a break for the door only to have Jamie grab him about the waist and carry the struggling frostling back to his clutches.

"Traitor!" Jack screeched, squirming and thrashing against Jamie's surprisingly strong hold. When did that skinny little kid get muscles anyway?

Jamie just laughed at his friend's futile struggles. "Come on Jack, it'll be fun."

"No Jamie." Jack protested, "this is not fun. This is the exact opposite of fun. This is, in fact, the least fun thing I have ever done."

Jamie snickered at him, unrepentant, "Don't be such a stick in the mud, Jack." Jamie said as he dropped the frost spirit onto his feet in front of Sophie. "Just think of it as part of a prank. You do your part right and you'll have Bunny's heart. Or at the very least you'll have his-"

Horrified at the words spilling freely from Jamie's mouth Jack twisted around and slapped his hand over the boy's face. "Jamie!" He hissed scandalized, he could feel heat creeping up his cheeks quickly followed by frost. "There are ladies present." Sophie puffed up proudly behind him at his words and Jamie scoffed underneath his hand.

"Sophie is anything but a lady." Jamie said as he peeled Jack's hand off his face, earning a glare from the girl. "And I was going to say 'friendship'." The teen paused to grin slyly at Jack, "What did _you_ think I was going to say?" He teased, which only seemed to fan the flames of Jack's embarrassment.

He glared at the boy, but didn't dare open his mouth in case something incriminating slipped out.

The winter teen was brought out of his staring contest with the bigger boy when he felt a tug on his single article of clothing.

Jack yelped, hands flashing down to grab the hem of his loincloth but it was too late. In a whirl of white fabric and determined little girl, Jack found himself standing in what could only be described as a tent, Sophie beamed up at him as she started messing with the details (like the bunny ears he thought he'd seen the last of -seriously how many of those monstrosities did the girl own?- and trying to tame his mess of white curls)

Jack sighed heavily, staring pitifully at Jamie, who just shrugged back., unsympathetic.

This was going to be a long night.

_*****frost bunny***** _

Aster sat surrounded by the energetic chatter-hum of hundreds of enthusiastic tooth fairies, wondering for the hundredth time why he put himself through this.

Aster had been minding his own business when Baby Tooth had burst into the Warren declaring Toothiana's wish for a tea party.

Yeah…that's right. A tea party. Not that Aster minded, he rather enjoyed the tooth fairies spontaneous little get-togethers. They were just a bit …well…uncomfortable is all.

For Tooth and her fairies the tables and chairs were the perfect size, but for a 7 foot tall Pooka it most certainly was not.

Aster sat almost bent double over the teacup that was tinier than even his smallest of googies, feeling utterly ridiculous.

But Tooth was an old friend and though he'd never admit it, the Warren could become dreadfully lonesome and he often found himself yearning for a bit of intelligent company.

Tooth was clearly in her element, flitting about cheerfully as she served her guest and chattered nonsensically about her beloved teeth.

Aster had long since learned the art of the attentive nod and often tuned out of her speeches, simply basking in his fellow Guardian's presence.

One minute everything had been fine, everyone enjoying the rare moment of peace and…well, not quiet, but definitely peace…when the whole place went crazy.

A strange, painfully high-pitched, alarm rang through the Toothpalace. Aster flinched, ears flattening against his skull to dampen the harsh sound. The fairies all around him bristled with proud anger and Tooth jerked to attention. "Positions girls! We've got ourselves an uninvited guest."

At that announcement Aster was on his feet in seconds flat, boomerangs sliding into his hands as he scanned the room.

If Pitch thought he would get away with attacking Tooth again than he had another thing coming to him. Aster wasn't about to let anything happen to his friend, not while on his watch.

The air was tense in eager anticipation, everyone itching for a fight.

A swirl of magic drew everyone's attention and Aster readied himself to attack, a battle cry on his lips, only to pull up short as a very familiar portal formed a few feet above the ground and a white clad figure tumbled out.

Definitely not Pitch.

But it wasn't North either.

The figure righted itself quickly, ignoring the closing portal while muttering to himself under his breath. If Aster hadn't been a Pooka he never would have been able to make out the boy's annoyed words. "Stupid Sophie and her stupid ideas. And Jamie! He's no longer on my favorites list, the little traitor. See if I bring them any snow days next year. That'll teach them."

Jack was not a happy frost spirit and he was not afraid to show it. The surrounding air grew crisp and chill with the boy's ire, ice sickles growing on every available edge within 20 feet of his person.

Aster was too busy staring at the boy in mounting dread as he took in the boy's appearance, to even notice the temperature change.

Jack was wearing…well…a toga. Yep. A toga. Sure it was a little better than last time since he wasn't showing nearly as much skin, but on the other hand Jack looked like he was wearing a dress.

He didn't like it.

At all.

"Ah, Crikey." Aster gasped, drawing Jack's attention. The pooka watched as the long floppy ears on the boy's head bounced when he snapped his head up.

Fire rushed to Jack's cheeks as he spotted Bunny, and surprisingly Tooth, who was gaping at him with wide eyes and fluffed up feathers.

Before he could offer up an awkward greeting he was surrounded by a swarm of swooning tooth fairies. He smiled at them fondly before squaring his shoulders and scrounging up his courage.

Jack was at the tooth palace. That much was obvious, and he had to wonder how that tricky little she-devil got a hold of _two_ of North's globes. Exactly how many had the girl secreted away and how come she wasn't on the Naughty List?

Seriously, it wasn't fair.

It was a mystery right up there with: how on earth had she known Aster was at Tooth's place? Jack should have ended up at the Warren with no Bunny in sight.

Jack would likely never know the answers to those baffling questions. He wasn't sure he really wanted to know anyway.

Jack sauntered over to where Aster was standing, one slender white hand disappearing inside his toga.

Aster watched the boy approach like one would watch a train wreck, with a mixture of horror and intrigue. The boy dropped to his knees in front of the pooka once more and pulled out a small bundle of pastel flowers and presented them to Aster with a flourish.

Behind him Tooth squealed and one of the fairies fainted.

Aster was unsure what to do. Why on all that's green would Jack be giving him bloody flowers?

The warren was full of the things and he already had a nice collection already. But no matter how much of a trouble maker the boy was he was also extremely sensitive to anything even remotely resembling rejection.

Aster already felt bad for how he had treated the boy, so he slowly reached out to take the proffered bouquet.

Asters.

Jack had given him a bouquet of bloody Asters. Now he knew Jack had a few roo's loose.

"Uh…thanks mate." He began awkwardly, gingerly holding the delicate blossoms in his giant paws.

Jack felt a rush of warmth course through his body when Aster accepted his second gift, the sensation was strange for the usually cold teen and caused goose flesh to creep over his arms and a shiver to course up his spine.

This was a good sign, right? Aster wouldn't accept his offering if he didn't return Jack's feelings.

With this new self confidence he stood to begin his circling, a twist of his magic and a beautiful crystalline rose materialized in his hand, glinting like a jewel in the colorful light of Tooth's palace.

He grinned cheekily at Aster, catching the rose between his teeth and twirling into his dance.

Aster gaped at the boy, green eyes impossibly wide. There was definitely something wrong with Jack, Bunny decided as he watched the younger male spin around Aster in a tight little dance, his hips doing this strangely feminine roll and his feet moving in an odd, but familiar pattern.

When had Jack learned to salsa? Aster was actually impressed, he hadn't known the boy had the patience for it.

Jack was also surprisingly good at it, moving with a grace Aster was surprised at. The boy's hair swayed in a light wind and his movements allowed the ice rose in his mouth to catch the light and glitter like a handful of diamonds.

Tooth and her fairies were cheering and clapping, giving the boy a quick rhythm to move to.

Jack came to a stop in front of Aster, taking the glittering rose out of his mouth as he bowed deeply, holding out the shimmering bloom to Aster, once again glancing up at the pooka through a veil of star-lit hair, bright blue eyes glinting hopefully.

Aster plucked the rose from the boys slender fingers, a shiver rolling down his spine when his paw brushed up against the boy's icy flesh.

Jack beamed as Aster tucked the snowy flower into the middle of the bouquet he'd gifted the pooka earlier.

He spared a quick smile for Tooth, winked at the fairies, and dived off the nearest ledge.

Aster's heart leapt into his throat and he had to remind himself that Jack could fly. The boy hadn't just plummeted to his death.

No matter how long he spent with the winter spirit he never got used to the boy's penchant for dangerous stunts and dramatic entrances and exits.

"Well, that was…unexpected." Tooth announced. Bunny's ears twitched and he turned to look at her. She was still looking at where Jack had just vanished, but seemed to pull herself from her wandering thoughts to turn a warm smile on the Easter Bunny. "Tea?"


	3. What the Sandman Knows

When Jack fled the embarrassing scene he was more in control than the last time, guiding the wind towards his usual haunt.

The lake had melted a while back and was now a glittering deep blue. Jack dropped out of the sky, landing on the sandy shore.

His mind was still firmly stuck back at the Tooth Palace with the object of his affection.

Things were going surprisingly well. Aster was receptive to his advances and soon he'd never have to be alone again.

He might have to thank Sophie.

Later. Much later.

He wasn't going anywhere near that crazy little girl until she was a little less scary.

He'd decided to hide out here until his mortification faded, then he might be able to face Aster without melting into a puddle of mortified Jack.

His moment of self-pity was ruined when something long, white, and fluffy flopped down into his face obscuring his view of the lake.

Jack huffed, going cross-eyed as he tried to look at the ear that had interrupted his plotting.

Growling a low curse, Jack reached up and yanked the ears out of his hair, ignoring the painful detachment of a few stubborn strands of silver thread that just didn't want to part with the fluffy appendages.

Balling the offensive objects up as best he could he pitched them into the center of his lake. They were shortly followed by a fist sized ball of pure fuzz.

He was tempted to similarly dispose of the ghastly garment Sophie had forced him to parade around in. But since he had no way of knowing when he'd be reunited with his beloved hoodie that probably wasn't the wisest course of action.

Maybe he'd keep it in mind for a future date.

_*****frost bunny***** _

Not even a day later Jack's sanctuary was invaded by the very people he'd been trying to avoid.

"Jack!" Sophie cheered, tackling the unsuspecting spirit. Jack gasped as he once again found himself flat on his back with the small teen's fists digging painfully into his sternum.

"Are you ready for your next love-rendezvous? If you want to get your man there's no time to loose." Sophie scolded him, clearly offended that he was hiding out in the woods. She patted his cheek condescendingly before hopping back to her feet like a bouncy little bunny and Jack was left to curl in on himself as he fought to regain his breath.

"Can't I just…I don't know…talk to Bunny?" Jack panted as he sat up, still clutching his middle, " It might be easier." Not to mention less humiliating.

Sophie's bouncing halted and she tilted her head to the side as she stared at Jack, as if unsure she had heard him correctly. "But Jack, that would never work. Aster isn't human, remember. You need to appeal to his instincts. Trust me. I know what I'm doing."

That was debatable, but if Jack had any misgivings about taking romantic advice from a thirteen year old child (which he did), he didn't say anything, just sighed heavily in resignation and leaned against his staff for support.

The things he did for these little monsters.

Sophie grinned at his obvious submission and danced over to where Jamie was standing, completely ignored by the bickering duo.

Jack took one look at what was in the boy's arms and balked.

"Oh no. No way, no chance. Not happening Sophie. Find someone else to play dress up with because I quit."

_**Frostbunny** _

Night had just fallen over the Warren when Aster received his first guest of the night.

Faint white light gleamed across the thick strings of golden dream sand making it appear to glow in the darkness as the sandman floated into Aster's home on a cloud of dust.

Aster just about collapsed at the sight of his old friend. "Sandy." He said in greeting. "Thanks for comin'." He then ushered the man to a small outcropping of rocks overlooking the color river where both of them sat down to talk.

Sandy smiled at him warmly, gesturing him to begin.

Aster hated to bother the other man, he was always so busy, but he wasn't sure what else to do. He was at his wits end; hopefully Sandy could shed some light on the situation.

"It's about Jack." He confessed.

Sandy had always been a good listener. He was quiet and attentive and never interrupted, so it wasn't long at all before Aster had opened up and spilled everything. Pouring out all his confusion and worries.

Their little heart to heart came to an unexpected conclusion when Aster felt a familiar disturbance in his Warren.

"Ah, crickey." He groaned, standing up and turning to face the intruder.

The ripple of magic was one he used to associate with North, but lately he'd come to connect that bit of magic with another Guardian entirely.

True to form, as soon as the portal appeared Jack Frost came stumbling out onto the grass.

Jack was glad he didn't end up tumbling head first into the ground (or the color river), especially with the special gift he'd brought along this time.

Smiling in nervous excitement, and frosting in embarrassment, Jack sauntered over to where Aster was clearly awaiting his arrival.

Smiling happily he presented his newest present and waited for Bunny's reaction.

Aster stared at the basket Jack was holding out to him, completely befuddled once again. What on earth could the boy possibly be thinking? Aster was the Easter Bunny, what would he do with a basketful of googies…especially so soon after his holiday.

But Jack was beaming at him and he could feel the bright blossom of _hope_ emanating from the younger man. He didn't have the heart to crust such a beautiful ray of light, so he smiled hesitantly back, "eh…thanks mate." He felt like a recording, always repeating the same phrase over and over again.

Jack didn't seem to mind in the least, his warm smile broadening into a pleased grin.

Aster sent a look back to Sandy, _'See what I mean'_ He silently beseeched. But Sandy wasn't paying any attention. He was floating a few feet above the ground on his stomach with his feet kicked up into the air behind him. His face was pillowed on his hands, framing his dreamy expression as he watched the scene play out.

Aster rolled his eyes at the sight and turned back to Jack, it was then that he finally noticed what Jack was wearing. He wasn't sure how he'd missed it before, because he couldn't help but stare now.

The boy looked like he'd just come from a holiday to the Islands. There were flowers in his hair, a vibrant pink that matched the leigh draped around his neck. The flower necklace dipped down over his chest, drawing attention to the coconut bra someone (he suspected Sophie based on Jack's frequent mutterings) had wrestled him into. And resting precariously low on the boy's slim hips was a grass skirt. Aster could see Jack's bare legs peeking out between the many slits in the green skirt. It was interesting to say the least, but he couldn't help but trail his eye back up to the most risqué piece of the boy's ensemble, the bra.

Jack's brilliant grin dropped off his face when he noticed Aster's wide green eyes staring at him. Gaping at him.

It took the boy less then a heartbeat to realize what exactly Aster was staring at, and once he did he couldn't stop the flush of mortification, frost creeping up his cherry red cheeks.

Jack cursed Sophie mentally as he quickly yanked the uncomfortable, and not to mention embarrassing article of clothing off and abandoning it on the ground where he preceded to pretend it didn't exist. Unfortunately, the damage was already done, and Bunny would forever remember this moment. Jack would never live this down, he could already see the years and years of teasing ahead of him.

Sandy was laughing quietly to himself, the little man shaking so badly it was able to distract Jack from Aster's burning gaze.

It didn't help to ease his embarrassment any, he still felt like squirming, but it did make him feel slightly better. He loved to make people smile, and to get a laugh out of someone always made his day…or in this case night.

Once Jack had rid himself of the obviously offensive feminine item he continued with his odd little ritual. Aster was expecting it this time, but that didn't mean he understood it anymore then the last time.

Aster didn't move from his spot as Jack began to sway to music only he could hear.

And by sway, Aster really meant sway. There was really no other way to describe the dance Jack had moved into. His hips were doing that oddly feminine twist again, swinging back and forth hypnotically, and his arms curled gently through the air on either side of him in a soothing mimicry of the ocean's waves. The grass skirt fluttered gently around him as Jack's feet beat a pattern in a small circle around the pooka.

Behind them Sandy had gotten into the mood as well and was helpfully providing a setting for them. Tall golden palms grew on all sides, and swirls of magical sand drifted through the air, curling around the duo and seemed to emphasize Jack's movements.

Somehow Aster wasn't surprised the boy knew how to hula dance, he seemed quite well versed in a variety of exotic forms of expression.

Jack came to a stop a short while later, face still flushed and blue eyes bright. He was panting slightly as he stared up at Aster with stars in his eyes. Aster stared back at him completely at a loss. Once it was clear Jack had finished and Aster was able to tear his eyes away, he glanced over at Sandy seeking help.

He felt like he was missing something. In fact, he was positive he was missing something; he just couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

Sandy mimed out a huge sigh and smiled at Aster indulgently as he summoned his sand to do his talking for him. He pulled a ball of sand to hover in front of him before waving towards the other guardians.

Aster watched dubiously as half of the sand flew towards him to hover over his head in a shapeless lump. The other half darted towards Jack, taking an equally ambiguous shape.

Yeah…Aster had no idea what that meant. Sandy was less coherent than usual.

But apparently the sandman was not finished, he stared down both men for a long moment before clapping his hands together, pulling both golden globes of sand away from their respective person to meet halfway between the two.

Aster wasn't able to make out the final shape before it burst into a cascade of golden sparks that rained down on the two spirits.

But Jack did see it, and he knew exactly what it meant. He felt his dying blush rear back into full strength and he turned wide blue eyes on the Sandman, who grinned smugly back at him.

With the image of that dream heart still fresh in his mind, Jack stole a quick look at Aster before giving into this embarrassment again and turned to flee.

Aster was more confused then ever as he watched the Guardian of Fun turn tail and run.

Shaking his head at the boy's stranger and stranger behavior, he turned to Sandy and held out the basket. "Egg?" He offered, eyes straying down to the coconut bra Jack had left in the Warren.

He wouldn't be able to get _that_ image out of his head for a long, long time.

Sandy heaved a heavy sigh at his oblivious friend, shaking his head in sympathy for poor Jack. He wished the boy all the luck in the world. He would need it.

_**Frostbunny** _

Far above the Earth, watching from his lofty perch on the moon, Mim laughed, rolling about in one of the many craters that made up his home.

Oh, this was good. He only wished he had some popcorn to watch the drama with. But Mim lived on the moon and so popcorn was a hard commodity to come by.

He would just have to make do without it.

 


	4. One Step Too Far

Jamie was in a merciful mood when Jack showed up, a gibbering embarrassed mess with a layer of frost coating his cheeks. Instead of summoning his evil little sister, as Jack feared he would, he simply smiled at the frazzled Guardian and allowed Jack to hide out in his room as he recuperated.

"I knew there was a reason you're my favorite." Jack told him as he lay curled up in a heap of pillows and blankets on the floor.

Jamie just smiled down at him like one would a small child. Jack would have felt very insulted and surely would have voiced his displeasure had Jamie not turned out the light, plunging them into a world of darkness.

Jack snapped his mouth shut and sank back into the makeshift bed (which was way better then this usual tree limbs).

"Don't pout Jack." Jamie said into the silence, startling the boy on the floor.

"I'm not pouting." Jack exclaimed, offended by the very idea.

"You are too." Jamie countered, "If your that upset about the sleeping arrangement you can go sleep with Bunny…I'm sure he'd be more then happy to help you 'sleep'."

Jack spluttered on his retaliation, springing up in bed and staring at the lump that was Jamie in utter horror, "Jamie! Where did that sweet innocent little boy I used to know go?"

Jamie propped himself up on an elbow to continue the conversation better, "He grew up." There was a note of amusement in the boy's voice as well as an underlining sense of worry.

Worry that Jack might think he was too old to believe in the Guardians?

Never.

"Nuh, uh. No way. Never gonna happen. You're not allowed to grow up. You have to stay little forever." Jack declared, causing Jamie to laugh, his voice surprisingly deep.

"I'm not allowed, huh? You gunna spirit me away to neverland to fight pirates, Peter?" Jamie teased.

Jack scoffed, "I don't think North would be willing to return to a life of crime for a game. We'll have to make do with Pitch."

Jamie snorted, "That'll do, I suppose. So does that make Tooth Tinkerbell or Tigerlily?"

Jack grinned at the question and both boy's slipped into the easy chatter of long-time friends.

_*****Frostbunny***** _

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. That end, for Jack, came a few days later when Jamie decided he wanted to rescind his place as Jack's Best friend/favorite person.

School had just let out and Jack was waiting for Jamie up in the kid's room.

He'd attempted to find his missing clothes multiple times over the last few days, but Sophie was a whiley one and Jack couldn't find hide nor hair of his beloved hoodie.

He'd been listening to the boy's radio, which Jamie had 'accidentally' forgotten to turn off. And so he had not heard the children's approach.

Thus, Jack was caught completely off guard when the Bennett siblings ambushed him. Jack once more found himself on his back (this time on the soft cushion of Jamie's bed) with a hyperactive little girl sitting on his chest and beaming down at him.

This was going to be a long day.

*****Frostbunny*****

Jack scooted next to the wall, his back flush against Bunny's home.

This had to be Sophie's worst idea yet. He was still a bit foggy on how he'd gotten into such a state as the last thing he remembered was Sophie cornering him in Jamie's room. And now here he was, back in the Warren, wearing a baby blue apron with sparkly bright pink hearts. Resiliently trying to ignore the draft he could feel bathing his privates in a gentle warm embrace.

Not wanting to flash any of the poor innocent little googies wandering around the warren, and acutely aware that Aster would murder him for such a crime, he crept towards the door leading inside Bunny's home.

Jack had never been so close to the Pooka's inner sanctum and he felt like he was invading the older Guardian's privacy, but Sophie had insisted that it was more than necessary. So there he was, sneaking into Bunny's house while Jamie and his devious little sister kept the pooka busy.

The door was unlocked, but Jack hadn't expected otherwise. After all Aster controlled who was allowed in the Warren (Jack could foresee his personal invitation retracted for this) so what use would he have for locks?

The den was a spacious cluster of rooms and once inside Jack found himself in a nice, if messy, kitchen. Counters lined the curved wall to his right and a small circular table took up the center of the room.

Clutter covered every inch of available space. Paints and abandoned paintbrushes were scattered everywhere, spilling onto the floor and leaving bright splashes of color on the table, countertops, floor, walls…and (he glanced up), yep, it was on the ceiling too.

Jack followed the trail of abandoned art supplies to a dark corner where a stack of precariously piled baskets (just as colorful as the rest of the room) threatened to bury him should he even look at it wrong.

Jack skirted carefully around the unstable tower of straw and into a small hall with only four doors.

The hall was just as disastrous as the kitchen had been, the over abundance of art supplies had somehow spilled onto the floor. There were scraps of straw everywhere as well as piles of dark dirt that was probably supposed to be inside all the clay pots lining every wall, and even hanging from the ceiling, their wilted contense draped over their sides in a sad little display.

Jack winced at the dead plants, but there wasn't much he could do to fix that other then to dispose of the evidence. Which he did.

He spent a few minutes cleaning up the hallway, moving everything that needed to be put away into organized little piles to be taken care of later.

Then he edged around the -now organized- mess and stopped in front of the door furthest from the kitchen. He was hesitant to even peek inside, afraid of what he might find within. But he had a job to do, so he slowly pulled the door open and stepped through the entrance only to stop in his tracks and gape in surprise.

Sure, he knew Aster was not a fan of Christmas, but Jack thought this might be taking it a bit far. It looked like Aster had stuffed every single Christmas gift he had ever received into this one room.

Scrunched against one wall Jack could just make out what appeared to be a sturdy wooden desk that had slowly been swallowed up by the avalanche of precariously positioned parcels.

Jack didn't move, didn't dare breath, simply taking in his crush's absolute aversion for North's holiday. Smirking to himself, Jack couldn't help but wonder if the Russian knew about this room…he doubted it.

Jack assumed the room had once been a study of some kind and he figured it would be as good a place as any to begin. And it might be a nice surprise for Aster to return to a fully functional study.

There wasn't much room to maneuver, but Jack was small, so he figured it couldn't be too difficult.

Upon closer inspection Jack realized that those mint green and pale pink boxes were in fact deep forest green and a vibrant crimson. The gifts had just been covered in so much dust that it was impossible to tell at a distance.

Jack was amazed by just how dedicated to his dislike of Christmas Aster was. Not only had he stashed any and all received gifts out of sight, he also hadn't opened any of them.

Every single package in that room was perfectly intact, not even a little rumpled from being shaken or peeked into.

It was impressive, if a bit sad, and it was obvious that the pooka had been collecting the despicable things for centuries. Hundreds of presents, the sheer magnitude of there numbers were simply staggering, tucked away never to be opened.

It was a little overwhelming and Jack almost wasn't sure where to begin. But he had to start somewhere and Jamie and Sophie wouldn't be able to keep Bunny distracted forever.

So, with that happy thought in mind, Jack reached for the closest box (which was sticking almost four inches out of the center of the shiny red and green wall). He would just organize these really quick before moving on, hopefully giving Aster a little bit more room to maneuver.

That idea came crashing down around him when the boxes and boxes stacked half-hazardly in the room began to groan miserably, as if alive.

Startled, Jack froze, staring wide-eyed, at the looming death trap before him.

As soon as he stopped moving the moaning quieted and the tower was back to normal, as if nothing had happened.

Nervous now, Jack gently pulled on the box again. The pile growled at him again and Jack let out an unmanly squeak as he shoved the box back into it's place and jumped back to what he deemed to be a safe distance (conveniently located on the other side of a firmly shut door).

When no sounds of impending doom came from within the room Jack cracked the door open and peered inside. He promptly sighed in relief as he found the room to be exactly as he'd found it.

Okay. So rearranging the Christmas Room was out of the question (he really wasn't in the mood to die…again…he liked bunny and all, but not _that_ much). Besides death by Christmas present was such a lame way to go.

Unfortunately the room was still a mess and he had to do something about it. He retreated to Aster's front room and scrounged up a feather duster that looked like it had seen better days. He ignored the shower of feathers that fell to the floor at his feet and headed back to The Room.

Jack spent the next few minutes dusting off all the presents he could reach, which -granted- wasn't many. They were packed too tightly for him to reach anything past the initial wall of wrapping paper.

Once that was done he spent a few minutes deciding which room to tackle next. He settled on working his way through the bedroom next.

Aster, it would seem, didn't sleep in a bed so much as a nest, much like the one Jack had been bunking down in at Jamie's house. A couple steps into the room the floor slowly began to dip, tapering off about a foot from where it had started. The indent took up the better part of the room and was filled with pillows, blankets, and other assorted odds and ends. It was all shoved into a pile about five feet in circumference and it was all Jack could do to keep from picturing Aster's large seven foot frame curled up in a little ball in the very center of all those soft fabrics.

Luckily this room wasn't quite as much of a catastrophe as the other rooms, but there was shed fur everywhere, and the heavy scent of musk was almost overpowering. Jack had to step back into the hall for a moment to catch his breath before attempting to brave the room again.

He did his best to ignore the scent, carefully collecting all of the grey and white fluff into a stray basket to deal with later. He was surprised at just how soft Aster's shed fur was, spending one brief moment to marvel over it and wonder if the pooka actually felt like that, before setting the basket aside.

Jack then took all the blankets and pillows outside to freshen them up, spending some time to beat the many pillows back into shape.

He left the bedding outside while he went back in to sweep up the floor. There was an egg shaped window situated high on the wall, so high that Jack had to fly to reach it. He stopped about a foot from the glass, his face scrunching up in disgust.

"Aww, gross." He grumbled to himself. The window as completely grime encrusted and it was no wonder he hadn't even realized it was there when he first walked in the room.

It took some serious scrubbing and a butt-load of elbow grease, but he did manage to de-grunge the window, allowing a ray of natural light to spill into the room unhindered.

He was just shining the wood frame when he found a small hinge tucked into the edge of the floral-carved window. Grinning happily he unlatched the glass and pushed.

Nothing.

Frowning, Jack pulled back, eyes narrowed on the stubborn window before pushing forward again. "Stupid…window…" Jack grunted as he put all his weight against the shiny glass of the window, ignoring the handprints he was stamping onto the glass.

It gave way with a loud 'bang' and Jack went flying out the window, unable to stop himself from tumbling to a stop inches away from the color river.

He blinked down at the colors swirling in the slow-flowing river, surprised by his quick displacement. He rolled onto his back and stared at the window he'd just opened. At least the room would be getting some fresh air, now.

Pulling himself to his feet he trotted around to the front of the burrow and began dragging everything back in to reassemble the nest on the recently swept floor.

Stepping into the hallway once more he found himself opening the next door, which led to…well…bathroom would be a very tame way to put it. The majority of the room not set aside for toiletries' was taken up by a huge stone framed pool that stretched back into a small natural cavern.

The water was pleasantly warm to the touch and he could sense the natural born heat bubble up from the back.

It was a hot spring.

There wasn't much for him to do there but clean up more shed fur and sweep up. He shined the mirror until it was spotless.

The last door in the hall opened into a small workshop smelling strongly of fresh flowers and the sour tang of vinegar. Half made baskets lined one wall and three easels fought for space in a back corner that was simply covered in paint. The last wall was separated into four rows of shelves. The first row was filled with flowers, shells, and any other natural material Aster could think of to make pigments out of. The next shelves over were stocked with jars of hand made paints over every possible color. The shelves beside that one were filled with bottles of oils and dyes ever color of the rainbow. And the last shelves were devoted to seeds. Nothing but seeds. Seeds from every possible corner of the globe, past and present.

The floor was cluttered with discarded sketches, loose pieces of thatch, and half full/empty bottles and jars.

This was not going to be easy, and it wasn't even the last room he had to clean.

Halfway through cleaning Jack stumbled on a cluster of pots with small struggling sprouts sitting under a pile of discarded weave. Out of sight, out of mind. He thought as he carried the small plants to the open window, placing them down on the wide window seal so they could get some sunlight and fresh air.

How did Bunny get anything done in this mess? Jack was surprised those little buds hadn't died from neglect, and he was downright amazed he had yet to find any mold growing in unwelcome places.

Turning around he came up short when something plopped down inches from his face. Slowly Jack lowered his eyes, not sure he really wanted to know. He winced, flinching back when he caught sight of the clump of …mold…that had apparently detached itself from the ceiling.

Gulping nervously Jack looked up.

And instantly wished he hadn't.

Ewww.

When this was over Jack was going to partake in a very long, shower and maybe take up residence there…no one would miss him, really.

Once the ceiling was….taken care of…he finished organizing the work bench, putting away the empty bottles in a corner to be used later, and swept up the floor before moving onto the last room in the den.

The kitchen was by far the worst of any of the rooms. Dirty dishes were stacked up everywhere and the sink was filled with even more jars of paint that had crusted over and dried out. Jack assumed there was a table of some kind in the middle of the room, but with the amount of dirty dishes, broken or incomplete baskets, paints and canvases, the piece of furniture had long since been lost.

Jack stood in the doorway for a long moment just staring in mild horror at the shear magnitude of the task laid out before him. Annoyed, Jack ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head in resignation.

He started with the sink, pulling the dirty jars out of the way only to stop at the state of the sink itself. He sighed, filling the sink with water as hot as he could handle (which wasn't very hot at all, but he tried). It took quite a bit of soaking and scrubbing, but eventually he felt better about filling the sink with dirty dishes and not worrying about the state of the water.

While the first batch of dishes soaked Jack cleaned out the cupboards to make room for the clean items, then started on the counters and stove where he found the next surprise.

Chocolate.

It was everywhere.

Jack had thought it was just brown paint at first, but that sweet scent was hard to mistake once he got close enough.

Jack was at a loss, how could Aster just leave this out like this? It wasn't safe, what if it went bad, or some critter got into it? How could he possibly feel good about giving this to children?

Once he'd gotten over his horror Jack had promptly dumped all but the freshest samples, frosting those over to keep them that way until he figured out what to do with them. Then he went back to cleaning.

He found a small stash of broken boomerangs stuffed on a stool between two large egg shaped doors. At first Jack thought Aster might be saving them so he could fix them, but upon closer examination it was clear these boomerangs were beyond hope of repair so he tossed them into a growing pile of trash and headed to the next item.

He took all the baskets, paints, canvases, and other miscellaneous objects to Bunny's work room, which did a lot to clear the table and open up the floor. Although Jack was hesitant to touch the tower of precariously stacked baskets by the hall.

Once he could move without fear of stepping on or breaking something he went to investigate the two oddly shaped doors. The first turned out to be a large walk in fridge.

It was a pleasant contrast to the always warm Warren, and Jack decided to take a quick break; stepping into the cool stone room. He was so distracted by the fresh chill caressing his skin he didn't notice the googies lining the walls. He only noticed them when the floor began to move and small white bodies began bumping into his ankles and tiny feet clamored over his own bare toes.

Jack let out a startled cry, stumbling backwards, a sea of white eggs swirling around his feet and causing Jack to panic!

Aster would kill him if he crushed even one of this precious googies. No one would ever find his body, he was sure.

He didn't even think about why Aster was keeping the eggs locked up in a fridge as he scrambled to get out…it was pretty obvious anyway. Eggs were perishables, and Aster had told him once that he had to keep the new googies cold since they weren't strong enough to handle the Warren's tropical temperatures.

Jack skidded out of the fridge, slamming the door closed before any curious little egglet could escape, then slumped against it, wide eyed and panting.

Never again! He vowed, mentally marking that room as a 'no go'. It took a few moments for the jitters from his newest near death experience had passed and Jack felt steady enough to check the last room, although he was more cautious this time around as he cracked the door open and peeked inside with one bright blue eye.

When nothing jumped out at him he slowly pushed the door open, cool air assaulting him and almost causing him to slam that door shut too, but his eyes caught up with him and he realized what exactly he was looking at.

This room looked to be an actual fridge, with real food in it. Granted, most of that was chocolate, but food was food.

He quickly stepped inside to check it out. On the wall opposite the chocolate were shelves filled with fruits and vegetables and delicately beautiful spun sugar eggs of elegant design.

Jack was once again in awe. Aster really was an amazing artist. And he might be a bit messy, but Jack thought that might be worth it if the pooka could create such beautiful things. And on top of that he probably grew all of his own food himself, so he probably didn't have much time to clean.

But that was okay, because that was what Jack was here for.

Determination once again swelling in his breast, Jack attacked the shelves with gusto. He snatched up any item that looked even the slightest bit spoiled and marched the lot out to the trash heap, which he then carried outside. He'd ask Aster what he was supposed to do with it later.

It was as he was cleaning out the pooka's fridge that he had an idea. A brilliant idea that was sure to win him a few brownie points.

He would cook Aster dinner!

Jack was a genius. Aster would most likely be starving after spending all day chasing after a hyperactive little girl.

Maybe he could make some pasta - a nice creamy pasta with lots of veggies and a carrot cake for desert.

Smiling smugly to himself, Jack gathered all the ingredients together an carried them into the mostly clean kitchen, feeling rather pleased with himself indeed.

_*****frost bunny***** _

Aster was done. He'd spent all day following the Bennett children around the forest as they explored.

It didn't take long before he grew suspicious of their motives.

Shortly after they had left, Jamie had blinked up at him with wide brown eyes, "Can you teach me to throw a boomerang like you?" He'd asked hopefully. Sophie squealed in excitement.

"Me too! Me too!" She'd cheered.

And how could Aster say no to that?

So, smiling warmly he had nodded, "Sure. Why not." He had agreed easily, "Ya li'l ankle biters could use a bit 'a exercise." Looking around them he nodded, this would do. But when he reached for his boomerangs his hand met nothing but air. He hadn't brought either of his weapons. "Ah, bugger." He muttered, before turning to the children, "I forgot ta grab 'em. I'll jus' whip back home an' pick em up right quick. Ya won' even know I'm gone."

Before he had a chance to tap his foot to summon a tunnel, Jamie and Sophie leaped forward, "No!" They both screamed urgently.

Aster paused, foot frozen halfway to the ground, frowning at their odd behavior.

"I…I changed my mind." Jamie stuttered, "I'd rather take a walk."

"A walk." Aster repeated skeptically.

"Yeah." Jamie laughed nervously. "I just really want to go for a walk." He elbowed Sophie in the side and she almost fell over herself, she was so eager to start talking.

"Yeah. It's so pretty out. We should go hiking." Sophie wanted to go hiking?

"Uhuh…" Aster agreed slowly. They were obviously up to something, but he'd let them have their fun, at least for a little while.

Their hike lasted late into the day and he wasn't at all surprised when Sophie started to complain and Jamie started to lag.

"Let's head back ta the Warren fer a bit 'o a break." He suggested.

Jamie straightened up and Sophie slipped back to her feet from where she'd dropped a few minutes earlier. "Not yet." Sophie said stubbornly.

"Yeah. Just a little longer." Jamie agreed.

Aster sighed and caved in, falling into step behind the humans. If it had been anyone else he would have ditched their lying asses ages ago. But he couldn't leave the kids alone like that, there was no telling what could happen to them if they were left by themselves.

A few hours later and Aster found himself carrying Sophie on his back and keeping the boy on his feet with a steadying hand on his elbow.

"Awright." He spoke up, coming to a stop and setting Sophie back on her feet. "Tha's enough. Back ta the Warren wit' the both a ya." He ordered, opening a tunnel in the ground next to them and eyeing them both expectantly.

The two of them complained loudly, but he was having none of it, shuffling them towards the tunnel insistently.

Everything seemed fine when they entered the warren, but Aster wasn't about to let his guard down. That unruly white haired teen had to be hiding around here somewhere, he was sure of it.

Aster guided the two children towards his home, intent on feeding them before getting them back home.

It wasn't until he opened his front door and stepped inside that he discovered just what was going on. It was kind of hard to miss, actually, as it was a very 'in your face' sort of greeting.

Jack Frost was standing in the middle of his kitchen, bent over the table, his bare behind on beautiful display, mooning the now open door, completely unaware of his audience.

Jamie made a choking sound and Sophie began to giggle uncontrollably. Aster would have tried to shield their innocent eyes if he hadn't been in shock.

Hearing the choked off sound of alarm from his best friend, Jack spun around, hands dropping to tug at the edges of his only article of clothing…a small blue apron that showed off more then it covered.

He could see the mortification in the boy's wide sapphire eyes as they shot up to meet his unexpected voyeurs.

Jamie was looking anywhere but at the frost spirit, his face a brilliant red that matched Jack's blush, with the exception of the white haired boy's layer of frost.

Sophie was giggling behind her hands and Jack thought there might even be stars in her eyes.

Aster was the one that caught his full attention though. His eyes had gone impossibly wide and the usual beautiful green was eclipsed in a sea of black. His jaw had dropped to the floor, along with his eyes, which were pinned back on his head.

"Your home!" Jack squeaked and Jamie face palmed just out of Aster's sight. The frost on Jack's cheeks thickened, almost completely disguising the pink of his face. That wasn't what he was supposed to say.

"I-uh…" Jack swallowed nervously, "I made dinner?" His sentence came out more of a question then anything, and he was sure his blush couldn't possibly get any worse then it already was. He smiled shakily, gesturing to the table, not once turning his back on the pooka and his guests, acutely aware of his state of dress.

He was going to kill Sophie after all.

He skirted around the table, picking up a bowl he'd used for a dish then paused, the smile dropping from his face. "uh…I hope ice cream is alright." He mumbled, "I was going to make pasta and carrot cake.." His eyes darted over to the oven and Aster's eyes followed his. He laughed nervously, "Your stove kept breaking every time I touched it." He admitted sheepishly in expanation.

Aster's eyes traveled back to Jack's face and he tried to form words, but his brain seemed to have gone on vacation.

Jamie finally managed to unstuck his eyes from the floor at the mention of the stove and he sighed when he saw the destruction Jack had caused.

The room was spotless except for the wall above the stove that had turned a deep soot black. The stove itself was sparking dangerously and an ominous red glow was emanating from the oven.

"I've got it." He sighed as he trudged forward to see if it was salvageable.

Jack remained unmoving on the other side of the table, pivoting slightly so Jamie wouldn't be standing behind him, preventing the boy from getting another eyeful.

Through all this he never took his eyes off Aster as he waited for a reaction, his hands clenching on air, missing his trusty staff.

He felt like he was on pins and needles, his whole body vibrating in anticipation and frost fanning out from where he stood, creeping over the ground.

This was it.

All his hard work would finally pay off.

Sophie could hardly contain herself, her eyes flitting between the two adults. She's stopped giggling as the tension mounted and Jack was afraid she might stop breathing altogether.

Aster was as lost as ever, staring at Jack completely confused.

The boy had cleaned.

That was…nice? And creepy. And a huge invasion of privacy.

The longer they stood in silence the more Jack seemed to droop. Almost seeming to fold in on himself. Aster was at a loss for what to do. He hated seeing Jack like this, but he really didn't know what was going through the boy's barmy brain.

"I…" Jack started, his voice cracking and…was he blinking back tears?

Aster felt his heart sink. Oh no. He wasn't sure what he'd done wrong, but he had to fix it.

Now.

He moved forwards a step, before stopping, not sure what exactly he needed to do. "I don' understand." He admitted.

Jack's face fell, heartbreak etched as plain as day on his elfin features. "Oh." He said, his voice was devoid of emotion and those were definitely tears glistening in those bejeweled orbs. "I-nothing? You really didn't understand any of it?"

Horror was slowly replacing that blank expression and the pooka didn't know what to do.

"I've been making a fool of myself for nothing." He muttered to himself, dropping the ice cream on the table, next to the freshly picked flowers.

Jack could feel everyone's eyes bearing into him, pitying him.

He snatched up his staff and dashed for the door, intent on escaping this hell-hole he'd created with his own misguided hope and foolish dreams.

Aster stood, struck dumb by the boys reaction, watching him fly off without a second glance. He knew now for certain that he was missing something. Something big. Sure, he'd had his suspicions, but this was pretty solid evidence he had on his hands. Yet, for the life of him, he couldn't make heads or tails of any of it. None of the kid's recent actions made a lick of sense.

The Easter Bunny turned beseeching emerald eyes on Sophie, she obviously knew what was going on so maybe...

But Sophie just shook her head sadly and turned away from him. "Come on, Jamie." She said in a weary voice, "we should probably get home before mom starts to worry." Aster could feel her disappointment pour off of her but he still felt nothing but confusion.

Jamie stood up from where he'd been tinkering with Aster's stove and headed over to his sister's side. He didn't say anything, completely ignoring Aster, and before he could offer to open a tunnel for them Sophie had pulled one of North's snow globes out of nowhere and opened a portal of her own. The children left without saying a word to Aster, and that stung.

Somehow in the last few minutes he had lost both children's respect and made Jack cry. Again.

He slumped into a chair next to the newly cleaned table with a heavy feeling weighing on his heart. He stared at the container of ice cream the boy had cooked up for a long while before reaching to take a large spoonful to brood over.

It was obvious to him that everyone, including the children, knew what was wrong with Jack. But no one was talking, so it was equally as obvious that he would have to figure things out himself. He hadn't really been devoting very much effort into figuring out what was wrong with the boy, convinced that it would either pass or one of the other guardian's would take care of it.

But he was tired of waiting, and Jack's heartbroken expression and tear filled eyes still haunted him, lurking in the back of his mind as he fought to unravel the mystery surrounding the Guardian of Fun.

He would fix this.


End file.
